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Classical Culture - Bellerophon

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OUTLINE
1. INTRODUCTION
2. BRIEF OUTLINE OF THE MYTH
3. HEROIC PATTERN
3.1 THE BIRTH AND ADOLESCENCE OF BELLEROPHON
3.2 VICTORY OVER THE CHIMERA
3.3 THE RISE AND FALL OF BELLEROPHON
4. MYTH INTERPRETATION
4.1 STRUCTURALISM
4.2 ID, EGO AND SUPEREGO
5. CONCLUSION
BIBLIOGRAPHY

CLASSICAL CULTURE 1B 2013: ASSIGNMENT 1 – HEROIC PATTERN OF BELLEROPHON
J J Swallow 201378988
1. INTRODUCTION
This Essay will be based on the Myth of Bellerophon from The Iliad by Homer as translated by Chapman and edited by Allardyce Nicoll. The purpose of this essay is to analyse the Myth according to the Heroic Pattern of Lord Raglan and Joseph Campbell and according to the theories of myth interpretation. This will be done by critically analysing …show more content…

However this did not seem to be the case with Bellerophon. He lived a relatively safe and problem-free childhood. He was a precocious student and being the son of both Poseidon and Glaucus who was “the most skilled equestrian of the day” (Lieberman 1997:n/a) he became a brilliant horse rider.
According to the heroic pattern, not much is known about a hero’s childhood. This is true of Bellerophon. Apart from being a precocious student and talented equestrian very little is known about Bellerophon up until the age of 16.

3.2 Victory Over the Chimera
Possibly the most important part of the heroic pattern is the hero’s descent into the underworld. This is common in many heroic myths, but before a hero can travel to the underworld they must battle some nightmarish monster or overcome a huge obstacle. In Bellerophon’s case the battle with the nightmarish monster and the descent into the underworld are one and the same.
The Chimera is generally associated with the great goddess. Having a snake for a tale and the head of a female lion both lend themselves towards the symbolism for the great goddess. The descent of most heroes into the underworld is symbolic of them making peace with or overcoming their feminine side (or the great goddess) (Chhiba 2013:n/a) This is due to the fact that the underworld is seen as Gaea’s womb.

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